Happy Birthday: O’Neal, Howard, Radwanska

Few players in NBA history have been as dominant and bursting with personality as the man who simply goes by ‘Shaq’.

Turning 45 today, O’Neal managed to be larger than life, both literally at 7ft 1in and 325 pounds, and metaphorically as a superstar who embraced his fame.

He was drafted first overall by the Orlando Magic in 1992, but it was with the Los Angeles Lakers where he truly became a household name, helping the renowned franchise to three straight titles from 2000-2002 while earning Finals MVP each time and the league’s MVP in 2000.

After moving on to the Miami Heat, he won another ring in 2006 before bouncing around from Phoenix to Cleveland to Boston at the tail end of his career.

Shaq is also known for his starring role in the film ‘Kazaam’ and now works as an analyst for TNT.

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Birthdays: Zoff, Andretti, Jankovic

Goalkeeping great Dino Zoff is the only Italian player to have won both the World Cup and the European Championships, having claimed the 1968 European title with the Azzurri before becoming the oldest World Cup winner in 1982, where he captained his nation to glory and was also named goalkeeper of the tournament – aged 40.

Zoff, 75 today, played the majority of his club career with Turin giants Juventus, where he won six Serie A titles, two Coppa Italias and a UEFA Cup, while also finishing runner-up in two European Cup finals. He finished second to Johan Cruyff in the 1973 Ballon d’Or.

With 112 caps, he is the fifth-most capped player for the Azzurri, whom he also went on to manage after retiring, finishing second at Euro 2000. He also managed Juve to the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia double in the 1989/90 season.